


For Family

by Corey-067 (Aliit_Netra)



Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Expanding on things that were missing, F/M, Relationship Beginnings, The things you do for Family, Where Corey was during Halo 5
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-12 04:41:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18003995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aliit_Netra/pseuds/Corey-067
Summary: Set during, and immediately following the events of Halo 5: Guardians, the story follows Spartan-II Corey-067 as he juggles his loyalties between the UNSC and his family of Spartans. It will also attempt to add more definition to the events that happened in the game, particularly relating to Blue Team's decision to follow John to Meridian.





	1. Division

Corey-067 sat at the holotank of an ONI Prowler, the only person aboard. It wasn’t his personal vessel by any means, but it was the one he’d been using almost exclusively for some time. Everywhere except what passed for a briefing room was kept immaculately clean, but the cabin he sat in now was littered with sources of information, everything from Covenant and Forerunner language learning databases, to tech specs with hand drawn additions, annotated in precise handwriting, to SigInt on more fleet movements than he was cleared for. The Havok nuke in the engine room would ensure that it never fell into the wrong hands. 

The holo was split into three, the left-hand side showing three faces, the center - Admiral Osman, arguably the most formidably powerful person in the UNSC, while the right held a single, helmeted head. Fred-104 could hear the conversation going on, but Infinity was being blocked from that side of the transmission by Astrid, an AI only created about a year ago. She held all the knowledge he could safely impart from Freya, the previous AI he’d worked with.

“I don’t know where they are.” His voice was practically a growl, and he could feel Serin’s gaze boring into him, hologram or no. She knew, perhaps more than any of the others, that he would lie, even to her, to cover for Blue Team, but he wasn’t lying. They all knew where Blue Team was going, anyway. 

“John  _needs_  to know what’s happening with Cortana, Tom.” His voice softened, and he shook his head, dropping formality. He could see that they were in his office, so the bridge crew wasn’t going to overhear. They were friends, after all. “She’s  _family_ , to him. The same as the Blues, same as me. It’s not my place to agree or disagree with his decision, but the Master Chief makes decisions based on what he believes, what he knows is best for the UNSC, not just himself. Whatever personal motives he has, he won’t lose sight of the bigger picture.”

His gaze grew hard, but he appeared calm, composed. “Admiral, I can head to Meridian after them, but the most I can do is try and talk them out of this course of action. They won’t follow me back any more than they’d return when Captain Lasky called them back. And like it or not, John’s still my squad leader. Even if I pull my ONI rank out of the bag - the one that only a handful of people know about - then I still don’t believe that he’ll come willingly.”

“That won’t be necessary, there’s already a team tasked with that. You’ve worked with Spartan Locke before, so you understand his chances.” 

It was a rare thing for a Spartan-II to laugh so openly, but Corey did precisely that. “All due respect, Admiral, but Locke might be able to hold his own in a fight with the Chief, but he won’t take him. Fancy toys or not. Send them anyway, though. If Cortana proves stable, then they can escort Blue Team back with her, but in the event that she’s corrupted, he’s going to need the backup.” He paused a moment, transmitting sensor data, largely just to change the subject. “It will please you to know that there’s nothing left of the Covenant fleet which was after Argent Moon.”

Admiral Osman didn’t look at all pleased, but she nodded. “Keep me updated, Commander.” Corey saluted, and her image flickered out. 

“Sarah, Tom, Roland. I know that I’m not supposed to be putting personal loyalties ahead of the mission, but I believe this is something that they need to do themselves. I know that we can’t go against Command, but I need Osiris slowed down. I know that Blue Team were in a Prowler, and they’ll have disabled any transponder equipment. I doubt that -” He glanced at a screen as Astrid pulled up the information he was about to search for. “- Liang Dortmund would be at all pleased if a Spartan fireteam landed in town and started demanding answers. It’d be worth suggesting that they take the long way down, for the sake of diplomacy." 

The conflict Corey felt was mirrored in the expressions of both Lasky and Palmer. They turned and held a whispered conference that the Spartan could barely make out. "Roland, you know that if there’s any way that they can help Cortana, bring her home, then they will. You’re all  _people_ , created or not. And Cortana is family.”

“I believe you, Spartan. Thank you.” Roland murmured, far more subdued than usual. He saluted - a gesture which the Spartan returned - and his amber form vanished from view, the final moments of expression suggesting that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. 

“The message is sent, Corey. Better hope we don’t regret this.” Palmer murmured. Lasky’s expression was heavy, and neither of them looked pleased. 

“What I said to Roland was the truth, Sarah. But when you think about it, if Cortana is a threat, wouldn’t you prefer the Chief on the front lines, rather than sitting with his thumb up his ass aboard  _Infinity_?” He knew that Roland could still hear every word, despite not having any visible presence.

Her expression flickered, just a hint of a smile, but it was enough. “It’s not an ideal situation, and we both know what’ll happen if they find out, but I trust your judgment.” There was an intensity in her gaze, in her words that made even Lasky turn to her. “I trust you, Corey." 

"Thank you.” He murmured. “I’ll be back aboard in less than a day. Coffee?”

The smile grew, and the Spartan Commander nodded. “See you then.”

“Stay safe, both of you. I’ll finish up here, and return to Infinity.” The holograms flickered out, leaving only Fred, with occasional appearances by Kelly, who was pacing the cabin of the Prowler with her helmet off.

“I’m worried about this.” Fred’s deep voice rumbled over the comm. “We haven’t pushed this hard since boot camp, and John’s taking this Cortana situation incredibly personally. I couldn’t betray him by pulling rank, but I’m not sure that he’s emotionally ready to deal with the threat potential that Cortana could represent.” The console beside him beeped, a single, blinking light indicating a file had been received - a ViDoc of the conversation between the members of Blue Team. In response, Corey sent a worm which would allow them to purge the ship's computers so that the data wouldn't be recoverable in any coherent form.

“I know, Fred. I couldn’t do it any more than you could.”

“Fred and Linda tried to suggest a different course of action, but it’s not like we can change John’s mind when it’s fixed on something. He’ll probably need us on this, anyway. And hey, what’s this about you being a  _Commander_?” Kelly’s tone seemed almost hurt at the fact that she hadn’t been told, though she tried to keep it light. Corey had known her since they were six. He heard it anyway.

“Serin granted me the rank to be more effective within ONI, for whatever that’s worth. I planned on letting you know, the next time we were all together.” His face grew far more serious, and he let Kelly hear the guilt that bled into his voice. “Locke is no slouch. I don’t think he’d be able to take John, but he’s serious business. He volunteered to take out Thel ‘Vadam after compiling the dossier on him - before he became a Spartan. If events hadn’t changed his path, if John hadn’t, then it’s possible he’d have succeeded. He’s that good. I’ll send you Osiris’ files. Keep him safe, please. Keep each other safe.  _I can’t bear the idea of losing any of you_.” His tone was pained, raw with brutal honesty that he only shared with the Spartans he’d grown up with.


	2. Helpless Watcher

The hologram shook as the pressure wave of the explosion that obliterated _Argent Moon_ and the fleet surrounding it buffeted the rear of the vessel, the Spartans within gunning the engine and riding it out, eventually overtaking it as the wave began to diminish in power. There was a slight buzz of static as the craft engaged its cloaking screen, and once they were in slipspace, John paced back into the main cabin. Seeing the body language of his teammates, particularly Fred and Linda, he jerked his head towards them. "Alright, let's hear it."

They removed their helmets, and Corey found himself realizing that it had been several years since the last time he'd actually seen John's face. A lifetime of constant war showed on his face - as it had for all of them - but his eyes were clear and bright, with an intensity that he could almost feel, despite the hologram. Fred ran his fingers through his close-shaven hair. A haunted look flitted across his features - he felt terrible about the idea that he was questioning John's decision, but like every member of Blue Team, he looked out for the whole team, not just one member. "Are you sure about this, John?" He met his fellow Spartan's gaze, but there was an almost weary resignation within it. "I get that Cortana's family, but if she's calling these devices to her... She's killed a lot of people. People we're supposed to be protecting."

John nodded, and the Spartans could see that he was running his thumb across the slot in his helmet where Cortana's data chip slotted, so familiar, yet so painfully empty. Without realizing he'd done it, Corey held the chip for his previous Ancilla, Freya, his bare thumb feeling the ridges in the housing, the imperfections, and scratches that came from the number of times he'd slotted it. He knew that sensation of loss all too well. "I can drop you somewhere along the way. Do this alone." John wouldn't abandon his team, but at the same time, he knew that they were following him into trouble, both from their own people and whatever was in front of them.

Linda began stripping down Nornfang as she watched the interaction, her silence not unusual, but far less relaxed than usual. Kelly's voice was tense when she answered, as though the idea of parting with the Chief was both shocking, and painful. Her features betrayed what her voice did not. "Spartans don't abandon each other. Not ever. Whatever this is - whatever's going on with Cortana, good or bad, we'll face it together."

John had been her best friend for over forty years, and she would be damned if she was going to let him walk into what was quite probably a trap by himself. Her loyalty was to the people on that Prowler, and a handful of others dotted around the galaxy. "We thought we'd lost you, John. We're not going through that again. But you need to consider that Cortana may no longer be who you remember. We've all been through so much, including her."

"The whole situation feels wrong." Linda's voice carried weight, the quiet undercurrent of hard-won wisdom which caused people to gravitate to her when she spoke. "If Cortana does prove to be a threat, Chief, are we going to be able to react accordingly? Logically that's why HighCom is sending in another team."

"We'll work that out when we come to it." John rumbled, his voice heavy with the weight of the decisions he was making, unwittingly drawing in his team. He'd become used to operating solo, and while he would do whatever he needed to so that he could complete his mission, he hadn't intended for Blue Team to get into trouble beside him.

"We're with you, John. Like I said before, they're not gonna court-martial all of us, right? But if it was one of us, do you think you could react objectively if we turned out to be a threat?" Fred realized, perhaps more than the others, the bond that had developed between John and Cortana.

"I-." John gripped his helmet tightly, a creaking audible as he stared at his reflection in the mirrored visor. He was unsure of himself, and he didn't like that. "I have to believe that Cortana wouldn't betray me. Betray us. And I'm doing the same thing I'd do if I found out that one of you wasn't dead like I thought." He shook his head, standing and heading for the cockpit, Kelly, and Fred hot on his heels. They would no doubt try to convince him further, but they knew as well as Corey did that John wasn't likely to change his mind.

A ping hit Fred's comm pad, a terse message that Corey himself sent, informing the team of their AWOL status, and a request that they call him as soon as they were able.  
  
The hologram faded out, the recording over, and Corey returned to his task of cataloging the remnants of _Argent Moon's_ wreckage, as well as seeing if there was anything that might be of use in the Covenant debris. Beta-5 would pass on whatever he found to the relevant departments. He only needed about another hour, he suspected, before he'd fly for _Infinity._ He was looking forward to being back among his own.


End file.
